Pond Edge Maintainence

[Redbug]

There is a Roundup, (glyphosate), product called Rodeo that is formulated to use around ponds and water. Normal glyphosate solutions have surficants in them that are the bad things to use around water. Rodeo does not have those chemicals and is safe, (approved), to use around your pond.

Do a Google search for "Rodeo herbicide", to learn more. It is more expensive than the normal Roundup, but may be better in the long run since you could do the work in a safer condition with just a backpack sprayer.

 

[pacerron]

I use a 7' sickle bar with a hydraulic angle cylinder on my roadside banks. Been doing it for 12 years and it works quite well.

The tractor he has appears to be matched to a 50" cutter bar. Hardly worth the expense to cut a 4 foot swath at the bottom of the dry side of his dam.
We don't know how high his dam is but the problem comes when trying to cut from the top of the dam down either the wet or dry side as well as down any banks approaching his pond from the other sides.
Regardless of the length of the cutter bar or the tractor, if he were able to drop the outer edge of the bar down at an angle opposite of the way you illustrate yours up, in the picture, the inner shoe pivot point of the bar would be inside the outside edge of the rear tire. This means in order for the bar to drop down to the contour of the ground the right tractor wheels would be precariously over the edge of the dam top. Most earth dams with any age do not have a sharp edge where the top starts going over the sides making the problem even worse.
On other slopes to the water, in order to cut to the waters edge or drop off his tractor could still be very close to the side roll over angle in places unless the slope is very wide and gentle.
From his description of using the bushog I doubt if this is the case.
It would be nice to see some pictures of the pond.

 

[oldtoyboyd]

What about an offset flail mower?

 

[Fixemall]

I thought about this thread last night when I went to pick up an outboard motor for a buddy of mine and the guy had one of those old lawn boy two stroke mowers in his shed, he would not part with it but I'll be on the lookout for one, I'm thinking I can fab up a bracket system and mount it to the FEL for the ultimate edge mower, no oil in the crankcase means the angles won't matter either. I'm thinking some sort of spring relief mount so the first time I set it down it does not break in half.

 

[Alien]

i use round up:

 

[pacerron]

I thought about this thread last night when I went to pick up an outboard motor for a buddy of mine and the guy had one of those old lawn boy two stroke mowers in his shed, he would not part with it but I'll be on the lookout for one, I'm thinking I can fab up a bracket system and mount it to the FEL for the ultimate edge mower, no oil in the crankcase means the angles won't matter either. I'm thinking some sort of spring relief mount so the first time I set it down it does not break in half.

The big, big caution here would be body armor protection for the tractor operator and bullet proofing for headlights and radiator.
I can envision a lot of getting off the tractor to restart the little mower engine when it bogs down.:thumbdown:
At least you wouldn't get a "creek in the neck" by having your head twisted around when backing a bushog or finish mower down toward the water a width at a time. I use a big mounted mirror but it takes some getting used too, and careful aiming.
Most of those old lawn boys had light aluminum decks but very small wheels.
Putting bigger diameter wheels on one and using it as a hand push near the edge would be handy. We use an assortment of an old string trimmer, a wheeled one, and an old, old 22" rotary push type 4 cyc mower that is lightweight. That is my wife's favorite of all of them.
I don't like any of them and just use the tractor backing down or up where possible.
It sure looks nice when she does the neat final trim though:thumbsup:

 

[TraderMark]

I use an 11ft BushHog Tri-Deck finish mower to get as close to the edges as I can, then come back with a 9 ft JD 350 sickle mower set to the narrow position to get the rest and some of the reeds and things that grow in the water. Both mowers are used behind my 1720 Ford.

I'm able to use the JD 350 sickle since the water level rarely drops below 10" of ground level and there really is no dam since it's a natural pond.

Mark

 

[savageactor7]

Compared to you guys our pond is small, 100x75. Basically it's a no frills fish pond and swimming hole...but it works well for us.

And it is a pain cutting around it. Mostly we cut with a push mower 90* into the pond occasionally a string trimmer. I like to keep it down because I think it keeps the turtles away...but that is just a theory.

In the summer we're in it a lot...after working in the back yard getting all hot sweaty covered with wood chips it's great to be able to just in the pond for personal relief from the heat or a field expedient bath before going into the house.

...as an aside in 2003 we put in 3 sections of a pre-fabed dock to form an upside down 'L' and that worked out so well I can't believe it took me so long to do that.

Oh and I will be checking out that Husqvarna HVT52...thanks to the poster that recommended that. If I can test that it works out I'll buy it...DONE!

 

[Alien]

Here are a couple of available machines, and great fun too!! I didn't realize anything like this was available.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha_76admUHc&feature=endscreen&NR=1]22T GOAT for slope mowing - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZw1ZMPohhU&feature=related]Remote Controlled Grass Cutter Graham Crescent Forfar (Robo Flail) HD - YouTube[/ame]

 

[SGBotsford]

I don't understand. Much of the appeal of a pond is that fringe of grass around it. Then I only mow 1/2 an acre of the 3 acres of my actual yard. (I mow 8 foot wide paths, and let the rest go native.)

However: why not a conventional self propelled mower for the stuff near the edge. 3 laps around the pond gets you 6 feet of edge.